I Mostly Do
by shewritestoo
Summary: Kelly is having a breakdown in the office and Jim seems to be the only one who cares. Jim/Kelly (Previously published under my old pen name teacupprincess)
1. Chapter 1

Kelly was inconsolable, which wasn't unusual for a slow Friday afternoon at the office. The only difference was that Ryan wasn't there to soften the blow or at least act as her punching bag. You could hear her shrill sobbing from all the way down the hall. Most everyone had either shoved tissues in their ears or were listening to their iPods on full volume. Andy had locked his door and Toby (being the well-trained Human Resources Representative he was) was nowhere to be found. Jim had gone around and asked just about everyone he could think of to try and cheer her up but no one, not even Erin, was willing to volunteer to enter into Kelly's emotional war zone.

Jim knocked loudly on Andy's office door. He could see Andy look up from the papers he'd been scribbling on and quickly look away as if he hadn't heard.

"I know you saw me." Jim called through the glass panes, his eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Oh, Jim." Andy looked up and cleared his throat, "I didn't see you there. Please, come in."

Jim crossed his arms, "The uh—the doors locked, Andy."

Andy blushed an embarrassed shade of pink, his hands-off method of managing revealed as he was clearly hiding from Kelly's ever-present shrieking. "Is it? Haha, I didn't realize." He got up and unlocked the door, quickly ushering Jim in and proceeding to lock it again and draw the shades once they were both safely inside. "So, what is it you need?"

"Well," Jim's response was slow and careful, "I think we'd all appreciate it if you would take care of the Kelly situation."

Andy avoided his eyes continued as if confused, "Kelly situation? Huh, I'm not sure what you mean, Big Tuna." He laughed nervously, which quickly drowned out by another loud cry.

Jim's response was simply an eyebrow raise.

"I see…" Andy pursed his lips, "Maybe we could just wait this one out?"

Jim sighed, "Andy, it's been like this all day and not all of us have a nice cozy office to hide in."

"Hey, I am not hiding." Andy whispered. Jim gestured to the closed shades. "Point made… but why do I have to be the one to talk to her?"

"Because you're the boss." Jim was getting more impatient with each sob that echoed off the walls. He'd forgotten his iPod at home.

"I'm thinking you should take the lead on this one, Big Tuna." Andy looked away as he slid back into his desk chair.

Jim held up his palms defensively, "Oh no, there's no way that I'm going to—"

"You and Pam have always been better at this stuff than I have and now that Pam's gone…"

"But—"

"I'm your boss and that's an order." Andy said firmly.

Jim sighed and looked down at his feet as he trudged through the Annex to Kelly's desk. His fellow coworkers were shooting him looks that ranged from pity to outright alarm. Kelly was slumped at her desk, sobbing without the slightest emotional restraint. It struck Jim as amazing that someone so small could scream so loud.

"Uh—Kelly?" Jim mustered up his courage and tapped her on the shoulder. The room went deathly quiet and he had a feeling his every motion was being watched by his coworkers.

Kelly turned around, her cheeks stained with eyeliner and tears and her lip trembling, "What? What do you want?" She shrieked.

"What's say you and I head over to Poor Richard's and get some drinks? I'm buying. Would you like that?" He smiled in what he hoped looked totally confidant and completely not terrified of the 5'4 prima donna

She blinked in surprise, "Won't we get in trouble?" She sniffled and wiped her cheeks.

"Oh," Jim gazed back in the direction of Andy's shaded and locked office, "I don't think Andy will mind today."


	2. Chapter 2

Kelly had been uncharacteristically quiet on the ride over to Poor Richards. Her loud shrieks had lulled to quiet sniffles as they pulled out of the Dunder Mifflin parking lot. Jim tried to convince himself that this was a good thing and was happy that his eardrums would be spared, but it also worried him.

When they entered the bar it was nearly empty. It was only 4 PM, and most people were still at work. The only other customers were a few shady looking guys playing pool and a drunk man asleep in a booth.

Jim led Kelly to the bar where they each sat on stools and motioned for the bar-tender to come over.

"We'll take two beers."

Kelly quickly shook her head and rolled her eyes at him, "Actually I'll take a Cosmopolitan. Thanks."

The bartender nodded and chuckled a bit as he went to fill their orders. Jim rolled his eyes. At least she didn't seem too distraught.

"Sorry, I'm just so used to ordering for me and Pam I just…"

"I know how to order a drink, Jim." She chided him, "I watch a lot of Sex and the City, okay? A _lot_."

The bartender set the drinks in front of them, and Jim resolved not to let the issue of Kelly's tantrum drop like his coworkers had tried to.

"So," he began, tentatively, "what was all that back at the office?"

Kelly sighed and took a long sip of her cosmo, contemplating his question for a moment. She appeared to be about to say something when she calmly shook her head and drained the remainder of her scarlet beverage.

"My cat Minnie died." She sniffled, "Actually, he was technically Ryan's cat and his name was technically Tom, but that's an unfortunate name for a cat and Ryan never took any care of him so he was pretty much my cat… but I guess I didn't do a very good job either." She broke out into sobs again and put her head down on the counter as she concluded this last statement. The bartender looked over with raised eyebrows and a few of the men playing pool were distracted by Kelly's outburst but Jim waved them off with a knowing smile. A smile that said, "Women. Am I right?"

"Hey," he patted her back and spoke in a tone he hoped was comforting, "I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

"It was," she mumbled, her face buried in her hands, "she choked on one of my press-on nails."

"Well… maybe you can talk to Angela? She has lots of cats. Maybe she could help you find a new one."

"Please," Kelly sat up, her mascara running and her eyes pink, "Angela would try to send me to prison for murder if she found out."

Jim couldn't deny the validity in this argument, "Have you told Ryan?"

"I would if he'd answer my calls…" Kelly stared down at her perfectly manicured nails, "Ryan and I actually broke up a few days ago."

Needless to say, Jim was surprised by all of this. He wasn't expecting Kelly to have a legitimate reason for her outburst. She seldom did. Although Kelly and Ryan broke up often, he sensed this time was different.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." He took a sip of his beer, "what happened?" He immediately regretted asking this question, knowing firsthand that it was opening a door to endless rants about Ryan he would have to stealthily find a way out of.

But Kelly surprised him, "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Especially not with you, Mr. Perfect Marriage."

"Actually," Jim stared hard at his beer, passing it back and forth in his hands and examining it as if it were the most interesting thing he'd seen all day, "Pam and I... things aren't going great with us right now." His cheeks burned bright red, which he hoped was imperceptible in the bar's dim lighting. He didn't know why he was telling her this. Jim had kept his failing marriage mostly concealed from his coworkers for the past three months and if he wanted it to stay that way, he knew the last person he should tell was Kelly Kapoor.

Kelly whipped her head around and gaped at Jim, her attention zeroing in on him like a hawk spying it's prey.

" _What_? I thought she quit to go back to art school!" Kelly exclaimed, visibly excited at the prospect of gossip.

"No, that's just something we agreed to tell people. Actually she's... she's back home with her mom for the time being."

"Why? What happened? Did you cheat? Did she? Are you two divorcing?" Kelly gasped, "Are you _already_ divorced? Where's Cece? _How_ could you not tell me this, Jim?"

Jim sighed, his mistake was clear. At least she'd stopped crying. "That's why." He took a long drink, "We really don't want everyone in the office making a big deal about it. It's just some... some personal issues we're working through." Even Jim could hear the lie in his voice, "We're just really private people. That's all."

Kelly squinted at him, "What did you do?"

Jim paused, drained his drink, and looked right in Kelly's wide chocolate brown eyes, "I wish I knew."

"And Cece?"

He shook his head.

"Jim." Kelly reached her hand over to his where it rested on the bottom of his empty beer bottle. Her fingers were smooth and warm. "I'm really sorry. I won't tell."

"C'mon, Kelly." He gazed at her knowingly. "You always tell everyone stuff like this."

"I mostly do." She laughed and shook her head at him, "but not with things that matter. Now come on." She shoved his arm, "let's get you drunk."


End file.
